Method of making a shoe welt



Oct. 4, 1966 F. L. SHEA 3,276,056

METHOD OF MAKING A SHOE WELT Original Filed June 17. 1964 INVENTOR. flame/5 L. 566% WOQWM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,276,056 METHOD OF MAKING A SHOE WELT Francis L. Shea, Wollaston, Mass, assignor to Barbour Welting Company, Inc., Brockton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application June 17, 1964, Ser. No. 375,843, now Patent No. 3,204,351, dated Sept. 7, 1965. Divided and this application Apr. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 448,980 4 Claims. (Cl. 12146) This is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 375,843, filed June 17, 1964, now Patent No. 3,204,- 351, issued September 7, 1965.

This invention relates to a shoe welt particularly adapted for use in welted cement processed shoes.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved shoe welt of the character specified which may be economically manufactured and which provides a welt extension presenting a grain leather surface around the top side edge and a portion of the bottom surface.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel and improved method of making a shoe welt of the type specified wherein two shoe welts are produced simultaneously from a grain leather fillet in a novel and economical manner.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter be described, the invention consists in the shoe welt and method of making the same, hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grain leather fillet from which the present welts are produced;

FIGS. 2, 3 4 and 5 are perspective views illustrating the sequence of steps followed in producing two shoe welts from the fillet shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the inner edge slashed or slitted to facilitate bending the welt in its application around a curved portion of the shoe; and

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing a modified form of welt wherein the inner edge is serrated to facilitate bending of the welt;

In general the present invention contemplates a novel shoe welt particularly adapted for use in cement processed shoes and which presents a grain surface along the upper, side edge and bottom of the welt extension on one marginal edge and provides a tapered flesh flange along the other marginal edge adapted to provide an efficient and secure cement bond between the welt and the upper of the shoe. The present invention further contemplates a novel method of producing two shoe welts of the character specified from a grain leather fillet of suitable width which includes the steps of cutting marginal recessed portions in the flesh side, leaving two grain surfaced flaps which may be folded and cemented into the recessed portions to provide grain covered marginal edges. Thereafter, a thin grain ribbon is cut from the upper surface, the cut being of a width such as to leave marginal grain surfaced welt extension portions. The fillet is then cut longitudinally to provide two welts, the cut being made at an angle in a manner such as to provide tapered or feathered flesh surfaced flanges extending from each welt extension.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents a grain leather fillet of substantial width having a grain surface 12 and a flesh surface 14. The first step in the manufacture of two welt strips from the fillet 10 is to remove stepped marginal strips 16, 18 from the flesh side of the fillet to provide recessed portions 20, 22 in the underside of the fillet and laterally extended grain flap portions 24, 26 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In practice the dimensions of the fillet and the stepped portions cut from the marginal edges may vary to produce welting strips of a size to meet the individual needs of the shoe manufacturer. In the illustrated example, the fillet 10 may be about A; of an inch in thickness and 1% inches in width, and the marginal cuts may comprise similar incisions in opposing marginal edges 28 and 29. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an incision is made in the edge 28 starting at a point about of an inch below the grain surface 12 and continuing inwardly along a line 30 parallel to the grain surface a distance of about of an inch from the edge 28. The incision is continued downwardly along a line 32 at right angles to the line 30 for a distance of about of an inch, then at right angles to the line 32 along a line 34 parallel to the grain surface for a distance of %2 of an inch, and finally along a line 36 providing a shoulder extending downwardly at right angles to the line 34 through to the underside or flesh surface 14 of the fillet. An identical incision is made from the opposite marginal edge 29 to provide the stepped recesses 20, 22 and the laterally extended grain flap portions 24, 26 as described.

The next step in the production of two welting strips from a fillet, as shown in FIG. 3, is to apply cement to the underside of the flap portions and to the recessed portions. The grain flap portions 24, 26 are then folded downwardly over the adjacent stepped and recessed edges to present the free edges of the flaps in abutting engagement with the recessed shoulder 36 to provide grain covered marginal edges with theportions of the flaps folded around the underside of the fillet flush with the flesh surface 14. The fillet may and preferably will be molded in this condition to set the cement and shape the marginal edges to assume a rounded form.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the next step in producing the present shoe welts is to remove a thin grain ribbon 38 about thick and wide from the central portion of the upper grain surface 12 providing a flesh groove 40 having opposed groove walls 42, 44 and leaving grain covered marginal portions 45. The fillet thus prepared is then cut to provide two shoe welts by making an angular incision extending from a point 46 in the flesh underside of the fillet substantially in vertical alignment with the edge of the groove wall 44 and extending diagonally along a line 48 terminating" at the bottom of the groove wall 42 as shown in FIG. 5. This operation provides two substantially identical shoe welt-s each having a grain covered welt extension or lateral bead 50 and a feathered or tapered flesh flange 52 having upper and lower flesh surfaces adapted for use in cement processed shoes.

In order to facilitate bending of the welt strip around the curved portions of the shoe, the flesh flange 52 may be provided with spaced diagonal slits 54 providing overlapping flange portions 56 which will slide over one another when the welt strip is bent around a curve as shown in FIG. 6. In a modified form of welt shown in FIG. 7, the same purpose is achieved by forming serrations 58 in the flesh flange 52. As also shown in FIG. 7, the grain edge of the welt extension or head 50 may be provided with spaced V-sha-ped vertical cuts 60 or other designs for decorative purposes.

From the above description it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel shoe welt having a grain covered welt extension and a tapered flesh flange particularly adapted for use in the manufacture of cement processed shoes. It will be further observed that the present invention also provides a novel and economical method of producing two shoe welts of the character specified simultaneously from an initial width of grain leather fillet which is substantially less than the combined width of two narrower fillets formely required for producing shoe welts of the type specified by virtue of the diagonal cut separating the fillet into two welts which provides complementary tapered flesh flanges, thus effecting a substantial saving in the amount of leather used in producing the welts. While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. The method of producing two shoe welts from a double fillet of grain leather of less width than the combined width of stock in single fillets required for two shoe welts made from said stock, each Welt having a grain covered welt extension along one marginal edge and a tapered flesh flange along the other marginal edge comprising the steps of severing opposed marginal edges of the double fillet to provide stepped recessed portions in the flesh side of the fillet and laterally extended grain flaps integral with their respective marginal edges, folding and cementing said flaps around the marginal edges and into the stepped recessed portions, then removing a grain ribbon of substantial width centrally of the fillet providing a flesh groove and leaving marginal grain surfaced portions, then cutting the fillet diagonally along a line starting from a point in the underside of the fillet substantially in vertical alignment with one wall of flesh groove and terminating at the bottom of the opposite groove Wall providing two shoe welts each having a grain covered welt extension and a tapered flesh flange.

2. The method of producing shoe welts as defined in claim 1 which includes the step of molding the marginal edges of the fillet after the folding and cementing operation to set the cement and to provide rounded marginal edges.

3. The method of producing shoe Welts as defined in claim 1 which includes the step of cutting spaced diagonal slits in said flesh flanges to facilitate bending of the welt around curved surfaces.

4. The method of producing shoe welts as defined in claim 1 which includes the step of providing serrations in said flesh flanges to facilitate bending of the welt around curved surfaces.

References Cited by theExarniner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,709,858 6/1955 Vizard 367S 2,750,686 6/1956 Vizard 36-78 3,007,185 11/1961 Greene 12146 3,103,024 9/1963 Greene 12-146 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF PRODUCING TWO SHOE WELTS FROM A DOUBLE FILLET OF GRAIN LEATHER OF LESS WIDTH THAN THE COMBINED WIDTH OF STOCK IN SINGLE FILLETS REQUIRED FOR TWO SHOE WELTS MADE FROM SAID STOCK, EACH WELT HAVING A GRAIN COVERED WELT EXTENSION ALONG ONE MARGINAL EDGE COMPRISING THE FLESH FLANGE ALONG THE OTHER MARGINAL EDGE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SEVERING OPPOSED MARGINAL EDGES OF THE DOUBLE FILLET TO PROVIDE STEPPED RECESSED PORTIONS IN THE FLESH SIDE OF THE FILLET AND LATERALLY EXTENDED GRAIN FLAPS INTEGRAL WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE MARGINAL EDGES, FOLDING AND CEMENTING SAID FLAPS AROUND THE MARGINAL EDGES AND INTO THE STEPPED RECESSED PORTIONS, THEN REMOVING A GRAIN RIBBON OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH CENTRALLY OF THE FILLET PROVIDING A FLESH GROOVE AND LEAVING MARGINAL GRAIN SURFACED PORTIONS, THEN CUTTING THE FILLET DIAGONALLY ALONG A LINE STARTING FROM A POINT IN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FILLET SUBSTANTIALLY IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH ONE WALL OF FLESH GROOVE AND TERMINATING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OPPOSITE GROOVE WALL PROVIDING TWO SHOE WELTS EACH HAVING A GRAIN COVERED WELT EXTENSION AND A TAPERED FLESH FLANGE. 